Sakura, My Dear Cherry Blossom
by Dan-Chan Haru-San
Summary: Sasuke is gone, Sakura is ignoring Naruto, and Naruto is all alone. He reminces on his past, and realizes he has to take action. NaruxSaku and Lemons later on.
1. A Lone Cherry Blossom

**A/N:** Well…here it is.

**Chapter 1: A Lone Cherry Blossom**

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"Sigh…" A lone cherry blossom gently expelled itself from the tree. It blew through the air wavering as it fell. The shadow of the leaf danced entangled in the blades of the fresh green grass, until it softly landed in the blonde coloured spikes of hair of Naruto Uzumaki. He sat clinging to the same old wooden swing he always sat in when he was sad and needed some self-soothing time. The old wood of the seat creaked, as he swung from side-to-side. He glanced above him at the beautiful Sakura tree. Instantly, in the corner of his eye, a bead of liquid formed and trailed down the side of his face to the ground. For one of the third times in his life, Naruto Uzumaki was actually crying. He remembered Sakura – that is, when she used to talk to him cheerfully, acting all annoyed whenever he did something idiotic. But he also remembered the Sakura Haruno who had chosen Sasuke Uchiha to admire. How Naruto hated Sasuke was not hatred, but an act of sheer jealousy – Sakura gave Sasuke all of her attention, admiration, and respect, when she downed Naruto. He was always put down by his crush because she liked the Uchiha. Just thinking of how stupid he was that time in the academy. He had thought she wanted to sit next to him, when it was Sasuke who she was after. He suppressed a coy smile and a few meek words escaped his mouth. He, of course, was talking to himself. "Life just plain sucks sometimes." Realizing he was stupid to ever have the subject cross his mind, he got off the swing and left the Sakura tree to bloom alone, to grow alone. He admired its beauty and willfulness. The swing swung in the wind until it subsided. The wooden board on two hard strings slowly creaked to a stop, and a lone cherry blossom fell again. Naruto walked off mindlessly for a few minutes until realizing he needed to go see someone. But in the meantime, a snack was always a good way to relax. He sighed, looking back at the Sakura tree, and smiled. Then he walked away to the one place he truly loved.

"Oh. Hey Kakashi-sensei." Naruto weakly expressed as he shifted and budged on the hard stool – one infamous stool that belonged to the Ichiraku Noodle Bar.

"How's it going, Naruto?" He said slyly, in that rather seductive tone. "You feeling ok?" He slurped up some ramen. Naruto had just realized that Hatake Kakashi was not wearing his mask. For the first time, Naruto had seen the truth. That in fact, all he had been hiding was the normal face of a man. With all the anxiety as kids, it was hard to believe that truthfully it was nothing but a scam.

"Huh?" Naruto snapped back into reality. "Oh, right… Yeah, I guess. Just a lot on my mind…" He alerted the owner to cook up a bowl of ramen for him.

"Hm… Any issues, perhaps? With a _girl_?" Kakashi emphasized the girl part. Somehow, he had this way of knowing how to make somebody snap. I don't know if it was his intellect, or his strange ability to know everything. As a child, Naruto had stupidly thought he was a stalker. But, how could he be so stupid? There was no way Kakashi-sensei could be a stalker… right?

"…" Naruto sat quietly for another minute, while Kakashi finished up his bowl. "I am having a bit of an issue with a girl." He finally stated. "Remember last month? When we were on that special mission with Lee?"

"Yes." He said pretty emotionless.

"Well…in that mission, if I remember correctly, we were looking for Sasuke. Well, somehow, I found him. He just kind of stared at me blankly until I, for some reason, confessed to him. Right as Sakura turned the bend, she noticed me yelling to Sasuke. I was screaming to him how I have a crush on Sakura and that he had to be there to steal her heart from him. Sasuke chuckled and jumped away, as Sakura stood there teary-eyed and confused like. When I turned to look at her, she just ran to go find you and Lee. She hasn't said a word to me since then. And one, I'm worried about her, two, I still have a crush on her, and three, I don't know WHY she won't talk to me!" He gasped for a breath stupidly. He left Kakashi sitting their skeptical, but then he smiled widely, as Naruto received his ramen and began to dig in.

"Naruto…you're 17 for god sakes… you haven't gotten a girlfriend? Damn are you pathetic!" He chuckled slightly. "I always knew you had a crush on Sakura anyway. And, Naruto, if you realize, you and Sakura are the sole two ninja in this entire village without a girlfriend/wife, besides Tsunade-sama, Iruka, Gai, Azuma, and me. You're the only Chunin who are single. You should just go find her and talk with her, you know."

Naruto flinched and slurped a noodle. "That's the problem. I doubt she would want to talk to me. Plus, Sakura only likes 'cool' guys like Sasuke." Instantly he flared. "That's all it is with her! Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke! Goddamn it! It pisses me off so fucking much to see that just by him acting cool, Sakura falls for his act." After a few seconds he calmed down. "I wish she would just at least acknowledge me…it would mean so much to me. Hell, I may have been a dolt in the past but I'm different now. And Sakura just hasn't come to realize it, I believe…but…" he sighed. He inhaled a few more noodles.

"Naruto, the only reason she won't accept and/or admire you is because you always used to be such a little brat! Hyperactive, annoying; Konoha's number one knucklehead!" He smirked. "You just have to change your personality a bit."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I know all about women, Naruto. Just follow my lead and you'll be as cool as Sasuke! Hell, even cooler! Wait… never mind. You could never be cooler than Sasuke – in Sakura's eyes anyhow." Naruto excitedly finished his bowl of ramen.

"But how I am I going to change my personality? It's who I am basically! And plus, I doubt you could be of any assistance. You couldn't even stop lame Sasuke from turning evil!" Naruto joked. It was, after all, true.

"Nope, I know somebody who could up your cool. And don't worry, she's trustable." Kakashi said. "I'm guaranteed this will work. Just follow me, Naruto." He explained as he began to jump from building to building.

"Hey, wait up!" Naruto exasperatedly set his bowl of ramen down and leaped after him. If this were to work, he would have to thank Kakashi so much for this. But… who says he has to thank him for it? Who am I kidding! Me thanking Kakashi-sensei – Yeah right! That'll be payback for all the times he was late on arrival! Yeah! "Sakura Haruno… I vow to protect you…" Naruto stated as he remembered Rock Lee's own words. Hey! I'm not supposed to be like bushy brow! What's up with that?

Next Time…

_Kakashi leads Naruto to a mysterious woman who he says can help him 'up his cool'. When Naruto runs into Sakura after his 'transformation', what will he say? And is he really changed in the heart – besides physical and social changes? Find out next time!_

**A/N:**

Yep, sucky. Feedback oh feedback. Just so you know, this was originally a oneshot. It will contain lemon, rated M for safety. Pairings are SakuraxNaruto, later on. Review and make me happy or else.  Ok, Arigatou everybody.


	2. Sakura, A Blossomed Konouchi Part 1

**A/N**: I tried to extend this one, the first chapter was short nn; Anyway, here's chapter 2!

Last time…

"_But how I am I going to change my personality? It's who I am basically! And plus, I doubt you could be of any assistance. You couldn't even stop lame Sasuke from turning evil!" Naruto joked. It was, after all, true._

"_Nope, I know somebody who could up your cool. And don't worry, she's trustable." Kakashi said. "I'm guaranteed this will work. Just follow me, Naruto." He explained as he began to jump from building to building._

**Chapter 2: Sakura, A Blossomed Konouchi Part 1**

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"Kakashi sensei, where the HELL are you taking me?" Naruto angrily expressed as he leaped over countless buildings. His legs were a bit sore from all of this jumping, but he couldn't be weak now! This was important to Sakura-Kun! He noticed Kakashi wasn't answering. "If you answer me, I'll use my harem jutsu on you just for kicks, you perverted Jounin! How's that sound?" He snorted a fine and then told him,

"We're going to Lord Hokage's house." The grey-haired pervert told him. "I swear, Naruto. Tsunade-Sama will definitely help get you… err… cool."

"Then what are we waiting for!" he said out of pure anxiety. 'Damn…and I can't wait to see Tsunade-Sama and her big ass boobs again! If only Sakura wasn't so flat… but who knows, she might've changed!' Naruto thought blushing a shade of light red. He and Kakashi didn't say anything else to each other until they reached their destination. Naruto ran inside the building, eyes closed with that infamous smile plastered on his face and shouted, "HI TSUNADE-SAMA! It's me, Naru-" before he could finish he had opened his eyes to a circle of Jounin that he recognized quite well. "Iruka-sensei? Neji? Rock Lee? Shikamaru? Kiba?" He looked dumfounded. "Kakashi, I thought you said I'd be seeing Tsunade-Sama?" He glared at the Jounin who was smiling. He hadn't put his mask back on, either.

"Oh, Naruto, Naruto. That was just so you'd actually come. I know you wanted to see Tsunade again so badly. And you call me a pervert!" He laughed and Naruto blushed again.

"Alright Kakashi, shut up already! So wait a sec. how are Kiba, Shikamaru, Neji, or Iruka going to help me be cooler?" He scratched his head and a few of his blonde spikes toppled into his top layer of hair.

"You're going to have private 'training' sessions with each of them, and hopefully by the end, you'll be… more cool. Now go on, Naruto. Go with Iruka, and me and the others will wait here." Kakashi said sitting in the circle as he popped out his perverted Icha Icha Paradise book. Naruto shrugged.

"Alright Iruka-sensei, show me how to be cool!" He said as they walked into a private room shutting the door behind.

"Ok Naruto, let's begin with your appearance. That tacky queer orange jacket – got to go. You need something more attractive! When you wear that thing it's like a repellant towards girls!" Iruka stepped over to him and ripped off his ugly orange jacket and orange pants. 'Clueless brat…' Naruto sat sort of dazed until Iruka came in front of Naruto holding a new outfit.

"W-What the HELL are THOSE!" Naruto screamed eyes opened widely.

"Duh. They're sex-appeal attractive clothing. If you want to be cool, wear it!" Iruka stated.

"No…No way in fucking hell or a twisted universe… would I wear THAT!" He pointed at it with anger. "It's HIDEOUS!" He whined.

"Oh screw you, Naruto. Trust me, put them on, and you will look 100 -" Naruto cut him off, "LIKE SASUKE!" He shouted pointing to the black t-shirt and beige shorts Sasuke always wore. "Damnit Iruka I refuse to wear that shit!" He turned and crossed his arms.

"But Sakura would fall for you." He smiled when Naruto turned around in excitement and pulled on the clothes.

"Now what, sensei!" Iruka smiled, for he would experiment with Naruto for quite a while. Oh what to do… when he sparked one idea after the other, he changed Naruto around completely. But is it really for the better? It must have been another hour before the two emerged. First, Kakashi dropped his book and his eye exploded in size, Kiba gaped jaw-dropped, Shikamaru gave a weirded-out look, Neji chuckled, and Iruka sat there smiling. "Well, what do you think?" Naruto asked beaming. After an unnecessary silence, laughter filled the room. "Erm…" The spiky-haired male looked confused.

"Dobe…" Neji handed him a mirror. When Naruto looked at his reflection in the mirror, you could sense, and clearly see, the sheer terror in that boy's eyes. What he had been wearing was first of all a baseball cap that was on backwards, an earring on his right ear in the shape of a Konoha leaf symbol, a pair of sunglasses, a medallion around his neck, Sasuke's clothing, a pinky ring, and a hooded sweatshirt over his left shoulder. "Oh my fucking god." Was all Naruto could say in the least. Iruka had turned him into this freak with Sasuke's clothes! Kiba, Shikamaru, and Kakashi shared their laughs. But they weren't laughing at Naruto… "What are you guys laughing at exactly?" His voice was tuned out until Kiba finally stopped.

"Na…haha… Naruto! HAHA!" He was splitting his sides. When he finally calmed down he said, "Naruto, it's not you. It's Iruka!" He said. "Are you kidding me? Look at yourself! He has NO fashion sense…" Kiba exclaimed. Iruka snarled. 'ungrateful little dog-lover.' After some shared humour, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Neji were ready for the next and final step – his vocabulary and attitude. "Come on, little idiot." Kiba said as he showed Naruto to the enclosed room.

"Alright, where to begin…" Kiba thought. "Oh right. Word usage!" He said, seating Naruto on a stool. "You see Naruto, there, in fact, is a separate dictionary for those of us who are actually cool. These cool words are important to your coolness! There are a few words I know that I can pass on to you. One of these words is 'Yo'. It sounds sort of military-ish, but hell, it means 'hi'. 'Sup' is a shortened version of 'What's up'. And also, 'Dobe' which means… well, we don't know. Sasuke called you a dobe, which makes it cool." Kiba finished. "If using yo and sup don't work for you, just forget them. They just sort of upgrade your cool." Naruto nodded in agreement as Kiba sat down and Neji and Shikamaru stood up.

"Alright, Naruto. Let's get down to business. You are a hyperactive annoying asshole who not many people like – but me and Neji here are here to change that about you forever." Shikamaru started. "You have to stop being so freaking whiny. It's really annoying and no girl wants to be annoyed! Act calm, moody, and cool. Smile rarely except when with a girl, then you can smile a lot, lean back against things, start folding your arms and smiling weakly. Doing stuff like this will totally make you cool!" Shikamaru said.

Neji picked up, "Ok, dobe. What else about you? Let's see. Besides the fact that you're too loud and annoying, you also have this tendency to be stupid. I mean, you never realize it when someone is being nice or tender to you! Years ago, when we were kids, Sakura had been saying nice things about you, and all you could say was, 'Yeah, I really saved your butt!'. Nope, that won't cut it, you 'tard. Being cool is accepting a girl as well. You got that, right?" Neji paused to see Naruto sitting there in a trance-like position. "Feh. Idiot." Neji expressed as Naruto began to come to.

"Yeah Neji, I get it. I was just thinking about all those stupid things I did… Like that time I thought Sasuke was posing as Sakura because she started being nice and I turned on her, or when she was congratulating me on that counter attack I pulled on Kakashi, then I screwed it up. Wow." He said quietly. The other three smiled at him and told him, 'that's it. Your transformation to being a cool dude is complete.' And they all walked out of the room. Kakashi noticed Naruto holding his hands in his pockets, and realized it was showing progress already.

"Uh, Naruto… Take off those damn glasses and that gay medallion." Kakashi said throwing the sunglasses and medallion on the ground. The hooded sweatshirt you won't need either…" Kakashi stated, holding it in his arm. "And that baseball cap makes you look ridiculous." He took the cap and held that with the sweatshirt. He tossed them aside.

"You sure - ?" Naruto said worriedly. Kakashi nodded his head yes and they waved good-bye to Iruka, Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba. They began leaping on buildings once more, back to the Ichiraku. Naruto was excited because he needed a fresh bowl. But he was excited coolly. Not a smile but a light smirk, and not a pounce to the table or demand for ramen, but a nice gesture and he asked for a bowl. He smirked to himself. 'This is really paying off! I just noticed a girl over there looking my way!' He then realized Kakashi was nudging Naruto on the shoulder. He turned to him. "What?" he pointed behind them, and Naruto turned with awe in his eyes.

"Hello, Naruto. I see… you've changed quite a bit." The pink-haired konouchi said as she flapped her hair behind her head. Her hair had grown quite long, and Naruto noticed she had bloomed into a fabulous young woman. Her chest was nothing close to flat – she had two large breasts grown onto her. Naruto couldn't help but blush and stare. She also no longer wore her red dress. She wore a pink and red kimono, which revealed some upper body cleavage. It was also shorter than a usual kimono, so it only covered her lower section a bit. Underneath that she wore a short pinkish red skirt. Naruto could only notice how beautiful she was and blush rapidly. He looked her up and down and could not control his hormonal behavior. That was, until he realized Sakura had actually been talking to him.

"Sakura-Chan…you… look beautiful." Were the only words he could manage to have escaped his mouth. She smiled, thinking how good Naruto looked. He had grown much more muscular and she could tell he was a whole lot different than he was. She girlishly giggled noticing he was wearing Sasuke's clothing. "But I thought you didn't want to talk to me again… ever since a month ago. You've been ignoring me…" Naruto sighed reluctantly.

"No, Naruto. I don't hate you. But I do have something to tell you." She glanced at him and he nodded. She grabbed him by the shoulder dragging him into a dark corner of the Ichiraku where nobody could see. She pressed him against the wall, her body up against his, and before Naruto could realize what was happening, she had kissed him. So deeply that it baffled Naruto. Then it was only a 10 second period later that he realized he had his arms around her and was returning the kiss. She pulled away from him, the two of them blushing. But all Naruto could think right now was, 'What in the hell just happened?'

Next time:

_Naruto finds out the truth about what happened with Sakura! What is the result and how will Naruto take it? There will be a Lemon coming up - but not in this upcoming chapter.  _

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**A/N**: I appreciate every bit of feedback/flames/criticism! I know this story is sucky! But whatever, I continue on. Tell me what you think of it. Arigatou.


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